Near-record attendance and a sold-out trade show were among the indications of the positive climate in the province’s mining sector at the 45th annual Saskatchewan Geological Open House held in Saskatoon on December 1-3.
The wealth of information and data offered at the event, held through the joint efforts of the Ministry of the Economy and the non-profit Saskatchewan Geological Society, attracted international attention to Saskatchewan’s mineral potential and will be utilized by mining companies to carry out exploration operations within Saskatchewan.
More than 700 delegates were in attendance for the open house, including representatives from nearly every mining and mineral exploration company active in Saskatchewan, service providers to the mineral exploration industry, and students and faculty from the geology departments at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan as well as the mineral technology programs at Northlands College (La Ronge). The student technical poster competition saw a record 24 posters summarizing thesis research projects, with 16 submitted by graduate students and eight by undergraduate students. The sold-out trade show comprised 61 booths.
In addition to providing access to data and research on Saskatchewan’s mineral opportunities, the event also enables consultations between the government and industry associations and related organizations such as the Saskatchewan Mining Association, the Geological Survey of Canada and universities.
According to the Fraser Institute’s 2013 Survey of Mining Companies, Saskatchewan’s mineral potential and investment attractiveness both ranked second in Canada, and the value of Saskatchewan’s mineral sales in that year was approximately $7.1 billion. The mineral industry provides about 30,000 direct and indirect jobs in the province, including direct employment for more than 2,000 people in northern Saskatchewan.
